Lionel Messi the greatest in history, according to Emiliano Martinez before the World Cup Final | football news

[ad_1]

Emiliano Martinez is ready to fight for glory alongside the ‘greatest player of all time’ Lionel Messi as Argentina take on France in the World Cup Final.

Argentina will seek to emulate the 1978 and 1986 champions in the final on Sunday at Lusail Stadium, with the defending champions standing between Lionel Scaloni’s side and footballing eternity.

France are looking to become the third team in history to win back-to-back World Cups and go into the final as slight favourites, but with last year’s Copa America victory and Messi’s inspiring quality, Argentina goalkeeper Martinez is unfazed by such labels.

“Obviously, when we won in Brazil, the favorite was Brazil and that’s the same thing happening now,” Martinez said. “People can say the favourites are France, but we have the huge advantage of having the greatest player of all time.

“We always like to hear that the opposition is the favourite, because we don’t feel superior or inferior to anyone. But, as I always say, we have the greatest player of all time. And with a good defense, we have many chances to reach our goal.”

Please use the Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player

Lionel Messi and Argentina train for the last time before the World Cup Final.

Messi is playing in his fifth and final World Cup and is looking to cap off an impressive run with victory in Qatar.

“I see him very happy,” Martinez said of the Argentina captain. “He feels really good on the pitch. I saw Messi great at the Copa América. He was an exceptional player, one of the best without a doubt in the Copa América – and in this World Cup he took a step forward compared to the Copa América.”

“He plays very well, and that gives a lot of energy to the whole team because we have the greatest player. He’s enthusiastic, he’s full of joy and that helps us a lot.”

Will Messi crown his career with glory?

Messi will become the record-breaker in World Cup history on Sunday when he plays his 26th and final match on this stage.

Having burst onto the scene as a teenager in 2006 and reached the final in 2014, the 35-year-old confirmed this week that his fifth final will be his last.

Now comes the chance to cap his illustrious career by leading Argentina to their first World Cup victory since the late Diego Maradona inspired the team to victory in 1986.

Messi seemed particularly driven throughout the tournament in Qatar, leading his side with confidence and scoring five goals in the process.

Please use the Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player

South American football expert Tim Vickery believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is not at the level of Lionel Messi and that the Argentine should only be compared to Pele and Diego Maradona. Merson: Messi is magical

Paul Merson from Sky Sports:

“Messi is magical. Everyone in the world knows he’s left-footed. He doesn’t do anything extraordinary to get on his left foot, and he does. It’s magical.”

“This is how he does it. You see the players take 15 steps back and Cruyff turns, but he gets the ball and runs past the defenders and drops his shoulder.

“He’s like Ronnie O’Sullivan in football. He knows everything he’s doing before it happens.

“I watched the game the other day. He beat two players in the middle of the park before hitting a Crossfield pass with his right foot without even looking. He knows even before it happens. He sees all the pictures.”

Scaloni: A collective effort is required to confront Mbappe

Argentina coach Scaloni was evasive when asked how he would deal with the threat posed by France striker Kylian Mbappe in Sunday’s final.

“We have already decided on the strategy and we will play in a way that we think we can hurt our rivals more and suffer less,” Scaloni said.

“We have our game plan, we know how to play it and now we just have to execute. I hope we can play a similar game as we did against Holland in the quarter-finals – but winning the game without having to go through the pain of penalties.”

Please use the Chrome browser for an easily accessible video player

Paris Saint-Germain teammate Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are set to face each other in Sunday’s World Cup final, but who will come out on top?

Scaloni continued: “To stop Mbappe, you need a team effort. But France is more than just Mbappe, we need to focus on putting on a good game collectively.

“Sunday’s game is much more than Lionel Messi’s game against Mbappe, it’s Argentina’s game against France, it’s beyond that.

“We both have the necessary weapons so other players can decide the match and not necessarily the two of us. Let’s hope it falls in our favor, but there are plenty of players who can decide the match.

And about Messi’s last appearance in the World Cup, Scaloni added: “Let’s hope that if this is Leo’s last game, that we can win the title. It will be great, and the most important thing is to enjoy it. What a better scenario than a World Cup final.”

Two great footballing nations, but not great teams

Paul Merson from Sky Sports:

“You have one of the greatest players to ever play football and someone who is not far from being the best player in the world right now, and at a young age who can do almost everything.

“If France played like they did against Morocco, this match would end very quickly, and Argentina are not very good. When you look at the two countries, you think this is a great game of football, but both teams are not the best.

“England should have beaten France. We were a better team than them and Morocco was a much better team in the second half against France. When France scored early, I thought it was over, but in the end, France held their own in the game. Morocco.

“France wasn’t great except for Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, and then you look at Argentina, Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez. Apart from that, they weren’t the best either. These are two great countries in world football, but they’re not great teams.”

[ad_2]